it's all ahead on the ktvu morning news. good morning. thank you for joining us. it's thursday september 2nd. i'm pam cook. >> and good morning. i'm dave clark. let's check weather and traffic. here's steve. thank you pam and dave. clear skies although fog is getting close to the sonoma coast. it's trying to do an end around everyone else but not here yet. temperatures tough call. 60s, 7 0z, 80s and 90s on the coast. 80s and 90s inland. we'll have more coming up soon. now here's sal. on the east shore freeway traffic does move well. i want to mention on highway 24 near college there's word of a dead deer in one of the lanes. it's kind of around a dangerous curve. if you're going to be driving from marin up through the tunnel be ware it's there. chp may be aware of it by now. 880 northbound that traffic is moving well. it's 5:00. let's go back to the desk. sal, thank you.

we have new information [ audio problems ] possible motive that a killing spree that spans three bay area cities. claudine wong is in the shopping center where two of the victims worked. good morning, claudine. >> reporter: good morning. police have been trying to put this case together piece by piece trying to figure out how the suspect knew the victims, how the victims knew each other. that is why we're in this shopping center because this is where at least two of the victims met. behind me is the salon and spa that is actually where his girlfriend worked. also in this shopping center an elderly victim worked here. this shopping center seems to be a place where they all kind of connected. now cindy was a regular customer here where tran worked. after the two and a half met a year ago they did become a couple. friends say the relationship

was rocky and he was she was upset over the killings. >> she said she was afraid and fearful and wanted to take the boys and leave. that's when we offered our home to her. i offered my home to her, but that was the last time we seen her. >> reporter: it was also here that tran met the 73-year-old. he worked as a security guard in the wells fargo bank inside the safeway store inside the same shopping center. he and his son ended up renting rooms at the home where tran lived with her four sons. while he may have been jealous and may have had a romantic relationship between the son that may have sparked a fight that led to murder. >> we're not exactly fully sure what the dispute was about for the son on that sunday but it was somewhat related to the housing situation or the romantic relationship. >> reporter: now we have learned a little more. the descriptions we are getting focus on instability and

apparently consistently unsettling behavior. and in another disturbing and tragic twist the night he was killed tran was on the phone with a friend and she could be heard screaming at him to stop while telling him she loved him. contra costa times reported he strangled her with a rope during that chase. she was later pronounced dead after being shot and killed. out here live we know that the owner was upset about some of the police activity and attention. there is a sign on the door now saying the salon is going to be closed until next week. certainly everyone in this community and the communities across the bay area still trying to come to terms with all that has happened. claudine wong, ktvu channel 2 news. also this morning investigators are still checking the possible ties to the deaths of two women. police found their bodies in the home where one of them lived and where he often

stayed. it's believed the two women had been dead for several days. and in another bizarre twist it appear the husband of one of the victims was still living in the house. police say 72-year-old charles rate ten house stocked up on bomb making materials that he took from his chemical engineering job. >> when we located the chemicals they were in a stable state. they were not a danger to the community at this point. they were not combined in the appropriate mixture to become a danger. >> he is now in jail facing several weapons and explosives charges. another piece of this very complicated puzzle is this. the missing car that turned up. the suv belonged to one of the homicide victims rita. he was known to drive it. police as you see towed it for further investigation. police say it could have been parked for days. now it was found in a business

park less than a mile from the crepe myrtle drive address where 73-year-old sales was found dead. make sure you stay right here with us on ktvu channel 2 as we follow the case. you can get more information on our channel 2 website at ktvu.com. it's another spare the air day. it has been called for today. air quality officials say high temperatures today are expected to create unhealthy air pollution levels. they're asking people to avoid driving and take public transportation. time now 5:05. sal would probably say that as well. >> yes, he would. >> as he watches the commute. >> i would. but just to be candid with you yesterday was the spare the air day and we had more traffic than we normally do. >> and it hot. >> kind of strange. maybe more people are on the road any way. we will watch it for you and let you know. today is another spare the air day. by the way public

transportation starting off okay this morning. let's go take a westbound 80 as you head toward the macarthur maze. no problems getting on to the bridge and getting into san francisco. there is no giants home game today at at&t park. some of the traffic you've been seeing the last few days won't be there today. northbound 280 getting up to highway 17 that traffic is moving along okay. at 5:05 here's steve. thank you, sal. not much in the way of any wind. there was a little west at travis an hour ago. now it's east-northeast and everyone else is calm. sfo's calm, santa rosa, vacaville, puff at san jose. the fog is out there but really no sign of a sea breeze so we start off really mild. even on the coast temperatures on the mild side. high pressure give us another hot day inland no doubt about it. always a tricky call on the coast. looks like a little fog is trying to get its way back there but it's very shallow.

couple steps away from the coast. it will still be very warm. 40s in the mountains. 50s and 60s in the valley. fog in southern california you can see where it's socked in there. high pressure over us today and about half of tomorrow and then another system will start to dig in and begin a cooling trend and drop temperature-wise starting next week. today we find some of that cool air on the coast trying to work its way in. but it really doesn't have much of a chance. we got the offshore breeze last couple of days well inland you might find a couple low 100s. patchy fog on the coast. yesterday monterey 79. yet santa cruz said they were 98. so when it's like that i wave the white towel. what are you going to do? inland 80s and 90s. the five day does have hot conditions today and also for probably inland areas for at least another day. and then we'll find the five day. cooler weather take over on friday and more so on the weekend. thank you.

time now 5:07. there will be a funeral today for the 13-year-old oakland boy shot to death last week as he walked with his twin brother. police say clark was killed last wednesday. so far no arrests have been made and there's no known motive. the funeral for the 13-year-old begins at noon today at the urban missions bible college on 105th avenue in oakland. if you have any information about the murder of clark contact oakland police. the san carlos city council could decide today on an outsourcing plan for its police force. ktvu's jade hernandez joins us more with that story. good morning, jade. >> reporter: good morning. cities across the country and bay area are looking at ways to balance their budget. the city of san carlos can no longer afford its police department. so it appears that the san mateo county sheriff's office will take over. tonight the san carlos city council will hold a special meeting to discuss the swap. san carlos city officials did not want to layoff their police

officers so they shopped around for an outside entity to take the department over. the san mateo county sheriff's office won out when the department promised to rehire all of san carlos' police officers with most of the 26 sworn officers assuming an equal rank at the county level. the police chief would still oversee the san carlos bureau for the sheriff's department and become a captain. also the officers would receive pay raises and would be exempt from layoffs their first year at the county level. the only downside some part time employees and workers may not keep their jobs. now city officials say the way officers who would become deputies patrol the city neighborhoods would not change much. of course we'll have more from san carlos coming up. reporting live, jade hernandez, ktvu channel 2 news. investigators are asking for your help to identify a woman found dead in a motel parking lot. the medical examiner released this sketch. take a look. they say the woman was 40 years

old, 5'8" and 129 pounds with wavy brownish-gray hair. she was wearing a blue sweatshirt, green cargo pants, black sandals and a pink baseball cap. her body was discovered on the morning of july 16th in the parking lot of preskid owe in on lombard street. the cause of her death is still a mystery. but if you recognize the woman in the sketch please call san francisco police. forget about madison square garden. the big political fight was right here in the bay area last night. we have the highlights of the big show down between senator barbara boxer and her challenge fiorina. hear what he has to say about lessons learned. and i'll show you what israeli and palestinian leaders are saying about resuming direct talks here in washington

this morning. good morning. 101 san francisco that traffic is moving along nicely coming up to the downtown area. we'll tell you more about the morning's commute straight ahead. !%

welcome back to the morning news. in washington d.c. this morning israeli prime minister and palestinian president sit down together for the first direct negotiations in nearly two

years. ktvu's allison burns joins us from our washington newsroom with more. good morning, allison. >> reporter: well, good morning to you, pam. that's right. in less than two hours at the state department secretary of state hillary clinton will lead the first direct negotiations between israeli's and palestinians in nearly two years. first it was a dramatic photo op. a show of unity at the white house last night. we heard from israeli prime minister and palestinian president pledging to try to reach a peace within the year. >> we don't seek a temporary respite between outbursts of terror. we seek a peace that will end the conflict between us once and for all. >> we will spare no effort and will work diligently and tirelessly to ensure that these negotiations achieve their calls and objectives in dealing with all of the issues.

>> reporter: president obama says he's cautiously optimistic but analysts say the hurdles are very high and the expectations are low. i'll take a closer look at some of the key sticking points during my next update in about an hour. reporting live from washington d.c., allison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. time now 5:14. in their first debate for the u.s. senate race barbara boxer and carly fiorina came out swinging. >> barbara boxer may say she's fighting for californians but the truth is she's fighting hard for another six years in washington d.c. >> every time you really get past the surface you see my opponent fighting for the billionaires, for the millionaires, for the companies who ship jobs overseas. >> both boxer and fiorina said voters have a clear choice between two candidates with very different opinions on many issues. >> if you look at senator boxer's long track record of 28 years in washington d.c., you

will see this, she is for more taxes, she is for more spending, she is for more regulation, and she is also for big government and elite extreme environmental groups. >> people are going to decide if they want to have me back or if they want to elect someone who made her name as a ceo laying thousands and thousands of workers off shipping their jobs overseas. >> now this was the first and so far only scheduled debate between the two candidates before the november election. supporters of both candidates gathered outside the entrance to st. mary's college with dualing demonstrations. fiorina supporters say the country needs her to stop the nation from turning socialist. and a group of nurses and union members showed up to support boxer saying she cares about working people. now our coverage of the debate

between barbara boxer and carly fiorina continues on our website at ktvu.com. you will find lengthier experts excerpts from last night's debate. chairman ben bernanke will testify before congressional commission. he's scheduled to give his thoughts on what caused the economic meltdown. and he'll be asked what risk he thinks are posed by the large financial institutions. he's already said one key lesson learned from the crisis is that the fed can't focus just on the financial health of individual banks but must also see the overall economic picture. today we will learn the results of an independent investigation into pg&e's smart meters. this morning the consultant hired to evaluate the smart meter program will present the results at a meeting of the california public utilities commission in san francisco. following that meeting pg&e will make the results public. now the independent audit of the smart meter program was ordered after many pg&e

customers complained that their electricity rates skyrocketed after those new meters were installed. time now 5:17. let's go to sal. we just had a crash in bay point. what happened? >> that's right. just reported now dave and pam. westbound highway 4. in fact our camera found it there. this is before the police have showed up. so this is right here westbound highway 4 and the police and fire department are on the way but they're not there yet. at least one of the driver's is out of the vehicle. now the traffic is quickly going to start backing up here on westbound highway 4 coming up. this is a bad spot for an accident because this is really the point where traffic usually breaks free. not this morning. again, the paramedics and fire crews are on the way. westbound highway 4 at willow pass road or between the first willow pass and the second willow pass exit. we'll let you know more about what's happening here. this is breaking traffic news. move along and look at 880 north and southbound.

that traffic is moving along okay past the coliseum. and this morning's commute on highway 92 san mateo bridge looks pretty good getting over to highway 101. at 5:18 let's go to steve. all right, sal, thank you. very, very mild conditions. some of the warmest temperatures right now are along the coast and in the city. i'll show you those in a second. but the fog, it's trying to do this. it's out there. it's trying but it's very shallow. so far it's very close to the sonoma coast and working its way up from southern california but not here yet. sunny and warm to hot. upper 90s to near 100 inland. 80s to near 90 around the bay. the coast anywhere from the 60s to 90s. i did put patchy fog in there because late today some might get close. san francisco at 68 degrees. what? yeah. 68. we'll go 72. i think you'll hit your high around noon. i'll go 88. and then by 3:00 we'll see that sea breeze kick in and temperature will start to drop. but the city's always -- i would rather forecast rain an when the city cools off and

gets hot. 57 santa rosa, nap pa. 66 san jose. oakland berkeley 66. 40s in the mountains, 50s 60s in the valleys. 50s in southern california. the fog's down there and it is coming up the coast. but it's so shallow and effect areas right on highway 1 or right there by the beaches. high pressure is large and in charge. like to be here about another day and a half and then gets blown out. going for a cooling trend. today only patchy fog near the coast. again, very patchy. a couple feet away it will be warm to hot. 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. 80s in the city, 89 oakland. fremont 89 yesterday. i'll go 89 again today. warm to hot today and then fog near the coast on friday. still warm to hot inland. here comes the cooling trend for the weekend and definitely early next week. well, european stocks are mostly lower this morning despite a stronger than

expected u.s. manufacturing report. but overnight asian markets posted gains on that news. japan's up 1.5% with tech stocks leading the way. sony closed up more than 2% partly on news we're going to talk about in just a moment. let's go to wall street though for where we start the day. very good day if you missed it by the close after that manufacturing report we do have the monthly jobs report coming out tomorrow though that will have a big impact either direction. dow jones up 254 points by the close. now back to sony updating line to e readers and increasing prices. it now includes a touch screen. the other two touch and daily edition have improved touch screens. also improved the display contrast for clearer text and photos even in direct sunlight. but the prices have gone up between $30 and $60 while most

other e reader makers have been cutting their prices. time now 5:21. fans of apple say the company is making itself the any time, anywhere entertainment leader. that's after apple founder steve jobs introduced several updated and new products to give users access to music, videos, tv, movies and social networking. steve jobs showed off an updated ipod that features two way video over wi-fi and a fashionable ipod nano. he also introduced fans to ping. it's a social website where music lovers can recommend songs and videos to each other. >> every time there's a song mentioned in one of those posts or anything like that, there's a little buy button right next to it. >> and there's a new apple tv box that lets you buy movies the very day they're released on dvd. tv programs include those from fox also available. you can find more details on apple's latest devices as well as a slide show of steve jobs'

presentation at our channel 2 website. just go to ktvu.com, click on the economy watch tab. he's always entertaining. >> yes. 5:22 is the time. a gunman shot by police at the discovery channel headquarters in maryland. find out why police think he may have done it and who he was talking to through much of that ordeal. plus we're also going to tell you about a frightening incident that sent two local firefighters to the hospital. good morning. this accident on highway 4 was determined to be no serious injuries. however, it is still blocking the fast lane on highway 4 at willow pass road. we'll tell you more about this crash coming up. our real nationapastime?

saving money. and like baseball people love their sts. i started bringing my lunc to work -- 50 bucks a week in my pocket. here's a good one: state farm iures 40 millionrive. more tn geico and progssive combined. i saved because i'm cident-free. of course, with so many ways to save

including discnts of up to 4, having that many customers shouldn't be a surpre. so ask a neighbor about state farm, then call an agent at 1-800tate-farm or go online. samsung reality or lg cosmosa, for under $20 after bate.

good morning. skies are clear. it's 68 right now in downtown san francisco. no fog yet. but 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s by the coast and 90s mainly inland but cooler tomorrow. thank you, steve. two san jose firefighters are recovering this morning from injuries they suffered while battling a house fire. it was reported just before noon yesterday at a duplex on 4th street. one firefighter suffered head and neck injuries when the ceiling collapsed. the other hurt his shoulder. both were taken to the hospital but their injuries are not considered life threatening. no word yet on what started that fire. overnight firefighters monitored the site of a grass

fire that briefly threatened homes in american canyon. the 30-acre fire started shortly after 3:00 yesterday afternoon and came very close to some homes. strong winds pushed flames away from the houses and the fire was contained in about 90 minutes. now there are no reports of any injuries there. time now 5:26. we have learned the gunman who burst into the discovery channel headquarters in maryland yesterday reportedly talked with the network news producer as he was holding three people hostage. now police eventually shot and killed that gunman and rescued all of the hostages after a four hour standoff. the incident started about 1:00 yesterday afternoon. the man burst into the building waving a handgun and wearing what appeared to be explosive devices. >> we were really scared. panic. nervous. all of those feelings because we heard he had explosives. we were really scared. >> authorities identified the man as a 43-year-old james jay

lee. he had a history of protesting the discovery channel's environmental programming. everyone else -- [ audio problems ] a bay area teenager is taking a trendy clothing chain to court. find out what's behind this emotional legal battle that could effect many other stores. >> reporter: in san pablo this morning what co-workers are saying about a man that's been missing since saturday.

good morning to you. welcome back. this is the ktvu channel 2 morning news thursday september 2nd. i'm dave clark. >> good morning. i'm pam cook. time is 5:30. let's check in with steve. is it going to be hot again today? >> if you're away from the coast or by the coast anywhere from the 60s to the 90s. the fog is not here yet. it's on the coast and getting close to the sonoma coast but not in the city. 68 in san francisco, shouldn't be a problem hitting 88 after yesterday's 84. enjoy it today if you want the sunshine because it will be cooler tomorrow inland not a problem lots of 90s. here's sal. there's a crash here in bay point blocking the fast lane westbound highway 4. that car you see is facing the wrong way. at first we thought it was an injury crash but it's still blocking the fast lane. chp is going to have to run a traffic break to get this car out of there. they have three units there. meanwhile traffic on highway 4 is backing up quickly into bay

point past the bart station. this is a look at westbound bay bridge traffic is light. back to the desk. time now 5:31. this morning we're learning a lot more about what may have set off a crime spree that left five people dead in three bay area cities. 38-year-old is at the center of this bizarre and complicated homicide case. investigators are looking at jealousy as one possible motive. they believe he beat a 73-year- old hercules man to death because he thought either the victim or his son was having an affair with his girlfriend. that son is still missing. investigators are also looking into the murder suspect's past. >> he was someone who had relationships with people and generally borrowed money and i vailed himself of the use of their vehicles and things like that. >> police have identified his girlfriend as 46-year-old cindy tran. they say he strangled her during the high speed chase

before his fatal shooting tuesday night. several witnesses spotted tran frantically waving her arms through the car window. there are reports she talked on a cell phone during that chase. co-workers say during that phone call they heard her pleading for her life. one tells the contra costa times "i could hear the car accelerating and he was yelling at her. i couldn't understand what he was saying. and i yelled for someone to call 911. and then suddenly it was silent ." >> at this point there are five people confirmed dead in this case. the suspect was shot to death by the chp. his girlfriend we just heard about was found dead inside the car. two women were found dead in their vallejo home, an elderly man beaten to death in his hercules home. his son is still missing. we have more on the story and the latest in the search effort. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, pam.

tuesday's tragic events don't end the story in the discovery of two more bodies in vallejo don't end e story. frederick sales still unaccounted for. police say he worked here as a nursing assistant. his father is one of the homicide victims. a report two people claimed to work with the 35-year-old. they say sales was hired three months ago. another co-worker said sales is a friendly man and always looking up to the future. but police say because of his association with him, sales may never be seen again alive. >> we always like to be optimistic in this particular case. but being an acquaintance of him does not bode well for having a long life. >> reporter: reported 35-year- old frederick sales missing on saturday. his 73-year-old father was also reported missing and found bludgeoned to death later that

day in his bedroom. sales lived in this home in hercules. they lived here with 46-year- old cindy tran and at least one other person. tran was his on and off again girlfriend. police say he strangled her to death during tuesday night's high speed chase that ended in richmond. police shot him dead inside a grocery store that night after threatening them with a knife. he killed sales and may have something to do with his son's disappearance. the three were involved in a fight at the hercules home a week earlier. >> we're not exactly totally sure what the dispute was about on that sunday. but it was somewhat related to either the housing situation or the romantic relationship. >> reporter: police aren't saying definitively that he's responsible, they do believe he killed those two women in vallejo earlier this week. reporting live in san pablo, ktvu channel 2 news. >> all right. thank you. and stay with ktvu channel 2 all morning long as we follow

the case. you can also find more information any time of day on our website at ktvu.com. family and police are looking for the killer of a man who was shot to death while answering his door. investigators were at the home yesterday on drake avenue looking for evidence. police say tuesday night the man in his 20s was shot as he opened his door and was found dead in his entry way. his mother was also shot but she will be okay. so far police have not released their names. authorities are looking for a bank robbery suspect who is responsible for a string of robberies around the bay area and sacramento. these are pictures taken from surveillance video. on july 28th police say the suspect entered a bank of the west branch in san jose and handed a demand note to a teller. police believe that same suspect is responsible for nine other robberies including ones in mountain view, men lo park,

pacifica and up north in auburn. time now 5:36. employees arriving at the county courthouse for work tuesday morning saw something strange and gruesome. the head of a young male deer with a small set of antlers was sitting in a tree well in the south parking lot there. police received several phone calls about it. animal control was called in to retrieve it. police are still trying to figure out who could have done it and why. well, a teacher at a pittsburgh school has been arrested and charged with possessing child pornography. the contra costa sheriff department said the 26-year-old was taken into custody yesterday morning. detectives say they confiscated several computers at his home that contain thousands of images of child pornography. he taught at elementary school and coach for a local swim team. testimony continues today in the trial of three men accused of killing the owner of

a popular restaurant. shot to death outside of his home two years ago. during opening statements yesterday prosecutors described the killing as a murder for hire case. fellow restaurant owner paul garcia is accused of hiring people to kill him because of a woman they both had been dating. ac transit considering service cut that is would effect thousands of riders. >> things are bleak. we are looking at decreases in revenue from the state, from property tax revenue, from sales tax revenue. >> now the transit board met yesterday to hear a proposal that includes cutting weekend service by 50% and reducing overnight service by two- thirds. ac transit tried to impose a money saving contract on union drivers last month but a judge ruled that the move was illegal. a vote on the proposed cuts is expected on september 22nd. time now 5:38. sal told us earlier about a crash on highway 4. what's the latest on that? >> the crash the good news is

the crash ended up not being an injury accident. but it's still blocking the fast lane there as police a lot of them sitting there waiting for a tow truck is what's going on. this car is badly damaged. so the fast lane here on westbound highway 4 at bay point is blocked. you can see the gentleman who was driving the car is also standing outside. they're all waiting for a tow truck to get this car out of there. meanwhile the traffic on highway 4 is backing upcoming up past the bart station and getting up to the willow pass road exit. 5:39. let's move to the bay bridge toll plaza. it's not a big back up at all coming in to san francisco. and then in san francisco northbound 101 looks good. not a bit of fog to be seen. most of the time many mornings we can't see this because it's too foggy. this morning we don't have that problem. 5:39. here's steve. it's because it's september, sal. >> okay. >> fog is out there but it's not in the city that's for sure. it's up on the coast a little getting close kind of teasing the sonoma coast. that's it.

warm to hot today. fog near the coast. probably won't matter until maybe late today when a little bit more of a westerly wind kicks in. some of the warmest temperatures are along the coast and in the city. it will be cooler tomorrow for the coast. still warm inland not as hot and extended into the weekend and early next week cooler to much cooler early next week. air quality again spare the air day yesterday at one air quality today right in there as well. very strong inversion. start hitting up in the atmosphere very sharp turn. warm air trapping the pollutants. spare the air day keep that in mind. it looks like this will break down towards the weekend. lots of sun, warm to hot. fog is out there. but, again, it's very shallow. anything that could you say make it won't have much of an impact unless it's right on the immediate coast. sunny and warm to hot. i did throw fog in there because some could creep in. but right now it's like you know circle the wagons. we can't do that but the fog is trying to make a half-moon on us. it extends south of big sur up

towards the coast and bends or bows out. it's not there yet. 68 san francisco. our observer michael in the city is 64. 64.7. let's be precise. 72, 88 officially 68 at min hill and 78 later on. so i think you'll hit your high around noon. then the sea breeze will kick in. but you got to give me a little lee way because it's hard. 78 at mt. tamalpais. that's warm air aloft. seven degrees warmer than yesterday. sonoma 56. pleasanton 63. and vallejo at 64. 40s in the mountains. 50s and 60s in the valley. the fog is down there also to the north one more day of warm to hot although not as hot as it was last week. patchy fog by the coast. very patchy. warm to hot elsewhere. a light west wind maybe late today. nothing right now. 60s, 70s, 80s, 90ss on the

coast. yes, that's what i said. upper 90s to lower 100s far away. cooler into the weekend and definitely next week. all right. thank you, steve. 5:41 is the time. hurricane earl is barreling down toward the eastern seaboard. hear what forecasters are saying as they try to pinpoint where and if the storm will make land fall. we have live report next. and meg whitman may find out if she'll be spending the next month doing something she hadn't planned on doing.

he most powerful halfa has a powertrainacked for 10000 mile chevy silverado half-t a consumers digest best y and the most dependable, longest-lastg full-size pickups on the road. now get 0% apr for 72 months on 2010 silvedo half-ton models with aaverage finance vings around $5,800. welcome back to the morning news. people living along the east coast are preparing for the arrival of hurricane earl which could hit land by tonight. reporter in kill devil hills, north carolina, with the very

latest. good morning, sandra. >> reporter: well, good morning, pam. it's certainly deceiving right now because it's just gorgeous out here this morning. you can see the sun is shining, the surf is up and the waves are beautiful. a lot of people are coming out here taking pictures of the shoreline in advance of the storm. but they're certainly keeping a watchful eye on hurricane earl. it's a category four hurricane right now with maximum sustained winds reaching up to 140 miles per hour. and the national hurricane center says the storm is growing and headed this way. many people in north carolina are stocking up and gearing up for hurricane earl. >> we're just getting enough stuff for two days in case we get stuck in. we've got a gas barbecue so we're going to barbecue if we need to. lots of drinks. >> pretty much we're here until sunday. ride it out. >> reporter: mandatory evacuation went into effect for hatter as island which is expected to get hit. north carolina is already under a state of emergency as many

homes and businesses are boarded up to weather the storm. >> earl has given us an early opportunity to test out our hurricane readiness with the best team in america. safety is always the barometer for north carolina and how we treat any weather event. >> reporter: earl's eye is not expected to make land fall in the u.s. many forecast models show it will travel just off the east coast making land fall in nova scotia. still many states will feel the force of the storm's winds and rain. hurricane watches and warnings are out. massachusetts and connecticut are being pulled up in advance of the storm. many people who have seen their neighbors leave town are hoping earl will pass on by. >> maybe it will go by quickly and we'll be back together again. >> reporter: president obama signed a disaster declaration for north carolina ahead of this storm and the strong winds and heavy rain are forecast to hit here later tonight.

live in kill devil hills, north carolina, dave, back to you. thank you. here's a quick look at some of the other top stories we're following for you right now at 5:46. investigators investigators say jealous rage may be a motive in the crime spree that left five people dead in three bay area cities. they now believe he beat a hercules man to death because he thought either the victim or his son was having an affair with his girlfriend. that son is still missing. this morning israeli prime minister and palestinian president will sit down for the first in a series of meetings in washington. president obama met with the leaders individually yesterday. and there's going to be a funeral today for the 13-year- old oakland boy who was shot to death as he walked with his twin brother. police say jimon clark was killed last wednesday. a $15,000 reward is being offered for information leading

to an arrest. government officials in chile have told family members of the 33 miners trapped underground to keep bad news out of any letters they write. yesterday the miners received an mp3 player and their first hot meals in weeks. there are reports that five of the men are suffering from depression. they have now survived 28 days underground. it's expected to take weeks or perhaps months to drill an escape tunnel deep enough to reach them. a bay area teenager is suing a trendy clothing chain for discrimination because of her religious beliefs. an 18-year-old muslim woman says the store refuse today hire her because she wears a religious head scarf. the company is not commenting on the lawsuit but it does have a dress code that does not allow anything worn on the head as part of the dress code. time now 5:48. today republican candidate for governor meg whitman will find out if she'll spend this month campaigning or be sitting in a

redwood city jury box. she reported for jury duty monday to the san mateo county hall for justice and she was told she has to check back today. according to to the san jose mercury news, if meg whitman is selected she would sit on a jury deciding whether to convict an accused child molester. 5:48 is the time right now. let's go back over to sal covering a couple things. how do things look, sal. >> highway 4 we're going to do it again because they're still there. in fact the tow trucks have arrived on the scene for this badly damaged car, but the only good news is that no one was hurt. in fact, looks like there are two vehicles involved in this crash on highway 4 here at bay point willow pass road. but the back up is stretching. it's backed up all the way to the bart station there. quite a back up for this early morning commute. and also antioch getting slow traffic as is normal for this time of morning. westbound 92 san mateo bridge

traffic looking good heading to the high-rise. if you are on northbound 280 any time soon in san jose it's a nice drive into the valley. here's steve. thank you, good morning everyone. plenty going on. it's all going to probably equal warm to hot for most today. doesn't take much. we're already sitting on very mild conditions. but fog is near the coast. not on the coast. maybe a late sea breeze. cooler tomorrow. no doubt about it. warmer inland and then the extended i like to tell you what that is that will be the weekend and early next week looks really cool next week. really cool. as we go into the weekend we'll see gradual cooling. these are temperatures in san francisco. observer michael in the city he's weather savvy put this list together. did my work for me. thank you. twin peaks 72. china basin 68. know valley 63. outer richmond 62. ocean beach is 56. that's a pretty good spread of

temperatures in the city alone. now official they're 68 right now. conditions won't take long to warm up. the fog is up here near the coast pulls off on the sonoma coast. it's close. you could reach out and touch it but it doesn't do it. and it's not anywhere near us right now. it's out there but it's not close enough. i'll put it down there in case some decides to make an appearance late today but not before upper 70s, 80s on the coast. inland we'll see some 90s. 68 in san francisco right now. 72. 88 for the high at noon. later today the sea breeze will kick in and way above average which this time of year is 70 degrees. mt. tamalpais warm there 71 on mt. diablo. the warm air aloft is already in place. 56 sonoma and 64 vallejo. 84 palm springs right now. 50s in southern california due to the fog. high pressure says i think i'll hang around for another day, day and a half. patchy fog coast, very patchy. warm to hot inland.

slight west wind later today. right now hardly anything. 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s by the beach. tomorrow start to cool down and carry that into the weekend and especially next week. all right. thank you, steve. 5:51 is the time. we should find out today if dell wants to make a higher offer for fremont based a focus of a bidding war between texas based dell and hewlett pack hard. if the deal goes through it will be the six billionth dollar acquisition this year. invests more than $1 billion and focusing in asia. they have seen revenue in asia jump 30% compared to the same time last year. delta credits the surging yen, new routes in japan and increase in the number of business travelers for the change. delta's the leading u.s. carrier to asia in both

departures and in seats. offering passengers a chance to change their travel plans without paying a penalty. the airlines say that passengers booked in and out of airports effected by hurricane earl can make a one time change. delta's weather advisory is encouraging customers to consider postponing or rerouteing their travel to avoid possible inconveniences at east coast airports in the storm's path. they warn that some flights may be delayed or canceled depending on storm conditions. of course that could cause a ripple effect. so nice if people can change. >> wow. time now 5:53. you already know about the mortgage crisis. there may be even more to worry about. in a new report focuses on how the stress over paying the mortgages is really making people sick. we'll tell you what's happening in the bay area. plus a call to a higher power later today. you'll be able to enjoy great in the future.

welcome back to the morning news. well, the oval office has undergone a makeover. here is the before and after picture. updates include new striped wallpaper, couches, lamps and a rug that features quotes from four previous presidents including abraham lincoln and john f. kennedy and quotes from dr. martin luther king, jr. the white house isn't saying

exactly how much it cost. livermore valley wine makers will observe a tradition today for the annual blessing of the grapes. a kickoff to the 29th annual livermore valley harvest wine celebration this coming weekend. the harvest is still a couple weeks away however because of a cool summer weather. vendors expect to pick about 15,000 tons of grapes over the next two months. there's new evidence this morning that shows foreclosures are having a real effect of the health of people. almost one in ten american households are right now behind on their mortgage payments and in oakland it's been more like one in four. the first of its kind report by the alameda county health department shows 38% of those who are dealing with foreclosure problems report declining health in the last two years with nearly a third of them reporting their mental health has gotten worse during

that time. all right. coming up on 6:00. we have new information today even more bizarre twists and turns about that bay area crime spree where at least five people were killed. officials now say jealousy may have triggered the killings. we have the details coming up. also the police department in one bay area city may be in for a big change. city council today may decide who is in and who is out.